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Friday, February 06 2009

KIRK ZIADIE NAMED COURTSIDE GRILLE TRAINER OF THE MONTH

OLDSMAR, Fla. (February 5, 2009) Trainer Kirk Ziadie has enjoyed a very successful 2008-2009 Tampa Bay Downs meet, and in the week of January 29 through February 3 has had 8 wins, 3 seconds and 4 third-place finishes from 20 starters. Though February 3rd, the conditioner is leading the Tampa Bay Downs trainers’ colony with 23 victories to his credit.

Ziadie conditioned R Lady Joy to a nine-length win in the 2005 Florida Oaks and joins Gerald Bennett and Ron Allen, Sr. as the only trainers in Tampa’s top ten to make the top 100 trainers by wins in the nation by achieving 68 wins that year.

Tuesday, February 03 2009

FEBRUARY 2009 PROMOTIONS

OLDSMAR, Fla. (February 3, 2009) February 2009 is action packed at Tampa Bay Downs, starting with this Saturday’s $75,000 Super Stakes, a seven furlong sprint for four-year-olds and up. The fun continues on Sunday, February 8th with Kids and Family Day. Join Radio Disney and the gang for an afternoon of free fun, games and Pony Rides in the Backyard from noon until three PM.

Saturday, February 14 is Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South, featuring the Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, the $100,000 Grade III Endeavour Stakes the $75,000 Suncoast Stakes. New on the Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South card is Taste of the Bay, featuring some of their most popular menu items during the event adjacent and just north of the Grandstand! Each featured Bay area restaurant will have a variety of items available at reasonable prices from 11 AM until 4 PM.

Monday, February 02 2009

FESTIVAL PREVIEW DAY PRESENTED BY LAMBHOLM SOUTH

OLDSMAR, Fla. (February 1, 2009) February 14’s Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs is the highlight of Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South, headlining a card that also includes the Grade III $125,000 Endeavour Stakes for fillies and mares four years old and up on the turf as well as the $75,000 Suncoast Stakes for three-year-old fillies.

The Sam F. Davis Stakes held its inaugural running as a $25,000 listed stake in the spring of 1981, created to serve as a prep race for the Tampa Bay Derby for three-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail. In 2004, the Sam F. Davis Stakes received a purse boost to $100,000, and has since gained in popularity for horsemen and horse players alike. This year, the race received graded status for the first time as well as its richest purse yet, $225,000.

Friday, January 30 2009

LUIS ANTONIO GONZALEZ NAMED HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS JOCKEY OF THE MONTH

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 29, 2009) Jockey Luis Antonio Gonzalez has had much to celebrate in the month of January, including a win in the Pasco Stakes aboard Musket Man. Gonzalez piloted the three-year-old to a 2 1/4 length victory in the seven furlong test, and Musket Man is expected to make his next start in Festival Preview Day’s Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes here on February 14. Along with his victory in the Pasco, Gonzalez has booted home 21 winners, 20 second place finishers and 18 thirds for $279,872 in purses through 28 days of riding in the current meet, making him the fourth leading rider overall.

Wednesday, January 28 2009

LEADING OWNER STIKES AGAIN; NESS WINS TWO

OLDMAR, Fla. (January 27, 2009) Leading owner Richard Averill haltered his ninth victory from twenty starts today; Averill has posted a 45% win clip and 80% in-the-money finishes at Tampa Bay Downs over the thirty days of racing and has accrued $96,279 in purse money since the meet began. Averill, who finished the 2005-2006 Tampa season as leading owner, will co-host Saturday’s Morning Glory Club with track announcer Richard Grunder. Morning Glory begins at 10 AM in the first floor of the Grandstand, is free to the public, and includes complimentary coffee, donuts and Grandstand admission.

Monday, January 26 2009

CENTENO WINS THREE, ZIADIE GETS TWO

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 25, 2009) Reinsman Daniel Centeno enjoyed three more trips to the Winner’s Circle today, giving him 43 wins for the current meet and solidifying his position as fourth leading rider in the nation by wins. Kirk Ziadie, who currently leads the Tampa trainer’s standings, added two more victories to his tally.

Centeno’s first win on the program in the came in the fourth race when he booted home Lord Louis, a nine-year-old Langfuhr gelding owned by Winning Move Stable and trained by Peter Walder. Centeno came right back in the fifth race to score with Teagan’s Girl.

Sunday, January 25 2009

RHONE TRAINS TWO WINNERS, CENTENO PILOTS THREE TO VICTORY

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 24, 2009) A crowd of 7,514 fans flocked to Tampa Bay Downs for today’s Cap Giveaway Day, during which conditioner Bernell Rhone had two winners and jockey Daniel Centeno piloted home three horses to victory.

Rhone took home his first win of the day with Payyourtax, a five-year-old son of Artax owned by Barbara Rehbein and Cindy Rhone and piloted by Luis Antonio Gonzalez. Rhone returned to the Winner’s Circle with Onotheregoestokyo, a six-year-old Storm Creek gelding owned by Bill Lethert and Tom Metzen and ridden by Dean Butler.

Saturday, January 24 2009

LAMBHOLM SOUTH TO SPONSOR FESTIVAL PREVIEW DAY

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 23, 2009) Tampa Bay Downs is pleased to announce that Lambholm South will be the presenting sponsor of Festival Preview Day, to be held here on February 14, 2009. Lambholm South Festival Preview Day is headlined by the newly graded Sam F. Davis Stakes, a Grade III $225,000 1 1/16 miles main track event for three-year-olds beginning on the Triple Crown Trail. Also on the card is the Grade III $125,000 Endeavour Stakes, a 1 1/16 mile turf race for fillies and mares four years old and up. Completing the Lambholm South Festival Preview Day program is the $75,000 Suncoast Stakes for fillies three years old going 1 mile 40 yards on the main track.

Friday, January 23 2009

JAMIE NESS NAMED COURTSIDE GRILLE II TRAINER OF THE MONTH

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 22, 2009) Jamie Ness, who in the week through January 20 has had ten wins and five second place finishes and three thirds third in twenty-four starts, is tied for leading trainer as of January 21, 2009. Ness attributes his success to both the horses already in his barn as well as his recent claims. “I make my living out of the claiming box,” says Ness of his success with newly acquired horses. “I do my homework and study the horses on and off the track, and I look at the trainers’ tendencies. I don’t have two-year-olds and I don’t have stakes horses. It’s a blue-collar barn so I need to know what I’ve got.”

Thursday, January 22 2009

TAMPA BAY DOWNS UPDATE: QUARTERLY REPORT

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 21, 2009) The Tampa Bay Downs trainers’ standings are a close lock through the first 25 days of the Oldsmar oval’s 83rd season of racing, with past leading trainers Jamie Ness and Kirk Ziadie tied for the lead with 16 wins each. Lynne Scace is currently the third leading conditioner with 121victories to her credit; Greg Griffith is fourth with 8 wins; and Dale Bennett is in fifth place with seven trips to the Winner’s Circle.

Wednesday, January 21 2009

LIVE RACING CONTINUES TOMORROW

OLDSMAR, Fla. (January 20, 2009) Tomorrow, January 21 will be a bonus race day at Tampa Bay Downs. Wednesday’s live card will showcase ten races, including an allowance dash for fillies three years old travelling seven furlongs fresh off of their first wins. The featured race of the day is the ninth race, an allowance optional claiming test for four year olds an up. Titus, making his 2009 debut for trainer Jamie Ness, will take on nine other contenders in the five furlong turf test.

Saturday, January 24 will be Cap Giveaway Day at Tampa Bay Downs. A free Tampa Bay Downs commemorative baseball cap will be given away with each paid admission while supplies last.